B1/B2 Business and Visitor Visa FAQ’s

1. I cannot speak English well. Can I take my interview in Vietnamese?

Yes. The Consular officers are trained to conduct interviews in Vietnamese. Also, they have local employees who will translate for the applicants.

2. What supporting documents should I bring to my interview?

The Consulate does not recommend that applicants bring large amounts of personal documents. For the majority of visa applicants, the only required documents are a passport, visa application processing fee receipt, and the DS-160 confirmation sheet.

Qualifying for a U.S. visa is an interview-based process. Most of the information required to make a decision is located on the visa application form, so the Consular officer will not need any additional information to make a decision.

Invitation letters, financial documents or employment documents are never required, and they will not help you to get a visa.

3. Business and Tourist visa applicants must show adequate family ties and economic ties to Vietnam. What is meant by “ties to Vietnam”?

“Ties” are the things in your life that bind you to your place of residence, including family relationships, employment and possessions. Because each person’s situation is different, there is no set answer as to what constitutes adequate ties.

4. Some applicants are afraid to disclose that they have

close relatives living in the United States, or that they have an immigrant visa petition on file, or that they have previously been denied a visa. What are the consequences of concealing or misrepresenting information or submitting fraudulent documents?

Full disclosure is best. The Consulate understands that many people have relatives in the United States but intend only a short visit, or they have immigrant visa petitions on file but do not intend to immigrate at this time. The applicant should disclose these facts. If an interviewing officer finds any attempt to conceal or misrepresent facts, the application will be denied and the applicant maybe permanently barred from entering the United States.

5. Why are the visa interviews so short? I was only asked a few questions and the interviewer hardly looked at my documents.

In a typical day, a consular officer may need to interview 80 applicants or more, which only allows a few minutes per applicant. However, your application form contains most of the information that the Consul needs to adjudicate the visa. Additional documents are examined only if the consular officer needs to obtain further clarification of your situation.

6. How long may I stay in the United States on a visitor visa (B-1/B-2)?

The visa that you get from the Consulate does not determine how long you can stay in the US. It just means you must enter the US before that visa expires. The length of your stay will be determined by the immigration officer when you arrive in the US.

Often the immigration officer gives the entrant six months. If you wish to remain in the United States beyond the time granted, you must submit a request for extension to the US CIS. An "overstay" of even one day can have a serious negative effect on a traveler's ability to qualify for a U.S. visa in the future.

7. Can I travel to other countries while in the US on a B1/B2 visa?

During your visit to the U.S., you may visit Canada or Mexico for up to 30 days and re-enter the U.S. as long as you re-enter within the period noted on the Form I-94 which you received when you first entered.

8. What can I do in the United States on a visitor visa?

A B-1 visa holder may go to the United States to consult with business associates, negotiate a contract, buy goods or materials, settle an estate, participate in business or professional conventions or conferences, or undertake independent research. Paid employment of any kind is not permitted.

A B2 visa allows such things as touring, visits to friends and relatives, visits for medical treatment, participation in conventions, conferences, or convocations of fraternal or social organizations, or any other non-paying activities. A B2 visa does not permit any kind of paid work or enrollment in a school or college.

9. My application was refused. Can I appeal for my visa refusal?

Any nonimmigrant visa application that is denied will not be reviewed or reconsidered. There is no appeal process. However, applicants are free to re-apply at any time and any new applications will be adjudicated by a different consular officer. The Consulate always advises applicants with more than one recent refusal in the past 6 months NOT to re-apply unless his or her circumstances have changed significantly.

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Q.1 Can I buy an airline ticket before visa issuance?

A.1 You should not buy an airline ticket before visa issuance and you should not make any firm plan until you receive your visa.

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Q.2. What is the maximum length of visa validity for Vietnamese citizens?

A.2. Currently, 12 month visas are the maximum for Vietnamese citizens. In future, this may be limited to three month visas, because US citizens are limited to 3 month visas in Vietnam.

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Q.3. How do I get my passport back after the visa has been issued? How long does visa delivery take? How much does visa delivery cost?

A.3. If your visa is issued, Vietnam Post will deliver your passport back to the address that you registered when you applied. Estimated visa delivery time is 1-2 days for addresses in metropolitan areas and 3-5 days for addresses in rural areas. There is no additional fee for the passport delivery.

A permanent resident who has remained outside the United States for longer than one year, or beyond the validity period of a Re-entry Permit, will require a new immigrant visa to enter the United States and resume permanent residence. There is a returning resident special immigrant visa called the SB-1.

The State Department has told all consulates that they could return petitions to CIS in the US only if they had good reason to do so. This means that the consular officer must have some information that was not available when CIS approved the petition.

In the United States, if we look at Mr. Obama’s Presidential Job Approval Ratings, we see that in May this year, only 51% of Americans were satisfied with his work. His approval ratings from January 2009 till now have an average rating of only 47%.

In October 2009, the President signed a new law that allows eligible widows or widowers of U.S. citizens to qualify for permanent resident status regardless of how long the couple was married. Repeat,regardless of how long the couple was married.

There are a number of requirements you have to meet in order to qualify for U.S. citizenship. Among the most complicated of these are the residency requirements, which look at how long you've been living in the U.S. and your immigration status during that time.